Monthly Archives: July 2019

d19b, Lecture on Lotus Sutra

Great Bodhisattvas with Powers of the Buddha

The great bodhisattvas who have emerged from the ground go up to the sky and bow before the great stupa with the two Buddhas seated side by side. Then they return to the ground, go around and greet each of the emanation Buddhas one by one, after which the Bodhisattvas return to the sky. This activity takes a great deal of time, fifty kalpas we are told, and yet the time only seemed to be no more than half a day to those who witnessed it due to the great power of the Buddha. Notice here that these Bodhisattvas had complete freedom of movement, they could go up to the sky, they could return to the ground and travel about, and they could then again return to the sky. This is in sharp contrast to the members of the original assembly who had to be raised up by the power of the Buddha.

These Bodhisattvas from beneath the ground not only have the marks and characteristics of the Buddha, they also have the powers of the Buddha.

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

WONS

Precious Medicine

Now if a child is given moxa treatment by his mother, he inevitably resents his mother. Given precious medicine, a seriously sick person may grumble at its bitter taste. So, it was with the Lotus Sūtra even during the lifetime of the Buddha. How much more so after the death of the Buddha and in a remote corner of the land! Just like mountains placed on tops of mountains and waves on tops of waves, difficulties on top of difficulties and abuses on top of abuses will occur.

It was T’ien-t’ai alone who correctly read the Lotus Sūtra and all the Buddhist scriptures during the Age of the Semblance Dharma. Various masters in Northern and Southern China hated him. However, as sagacious rulers of the Chen and Sui dynasties in China clarified who was right through debates in front of their own eyes, his enemies eventually disappeared. Toward the end of the Age of the Semblance Dharma, Dengyō alone in Japan correctly read the Lotus Sūtra and all the Buddhist scriptures. Although seven great temples of Nara, the Southern Capital, rose against him, nothing happened to him because Emperors Kammu and Saga themselves clarified who was right.

But now, it has been over 200 years since the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration. I have not been allowed to meet opponents in debate; instead I have been banished with my life in jeopardy. It proves that the warning in the Lotus Sūtra about much hatred and jealousy after the death of the Buddha is not an empty threat. It also proves that we are in the beginning of endless warfare and in a decadent world of corruption where unreasonableness takes precedence over reason.

Therefore, although my comprehension of the Lotus Sūtra is not worthy even one ten millionth of that of T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō, I dare say that my endurance on its behalf and compassion for the people are beyond these masters. I am sure that I deserve to receive heavenly protection, but there is not even a shred of it. Instead I have been condemned to heavier and heavier penalties. Looking back in this light, I wonder whether or not I am a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra and whether or not various gods and deities have left this land.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 56

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – July 21, 2019

Anyone who protects this sūtra
Should be considered
To have already made offerings
To Many-Treasures and to me.

The Buddha makes this declaration to all those assembled to hear him teach the Dharma in Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, Many-Treasures Buddha has just appeared to confirm the truth of the sūtra, and the Buddha has asked who will protect and preserve this sūtra after his extinction. By considering anyone who defends the meaning of the Lotus Sūtra to be one who has been personally present before these Buddhas, the Buddha invites us to consider not just our previous lives, but our current lives. We repay these Buddhas for this wonderful teaching by bringing it to life ourselves. As Nichiren wrote, “even if only a word or phrase, spread it to others.”

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

LS32

Day 30

Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

Day 30 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered Medicine-King’s dhārāni spells, we consider Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva’s offering.

Thereupon Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! I also will utter dhārānis in order to protect the person who reads, recites and keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. If he keeps these dhārānis, this teacher of the Dharma will not have his weak points taken advantage of by any yakṣa, rākṣasa, pūtana, kṛtya, kumbhāṇḍa or hungry spirit.”

Then he uttered spells before the Buddha:

“Zarei (1), makazarei (2), ukki (3), mokki (4), arei (5), arahatei (6), netsureitei (7), netsureitahatei (8), ichini (9), ichini (10), shichini(11), netsureichini (12), netsurichihachi (13).”

[He said to the Buddha:]

“World-Honored One! These dhārānis, these divine spells, have already been uttered by as many Buddhas as there are sands in the River Ganges. Those Buddhas uttered them with joy. Those who attack and abuse this teacher of the Dharma should be considered to have attacked and abused those Buddhas.”

On my 21-day retreat encouraged by Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, we consider Day 20 of 21

21days, Universal Sage

Day 20 of 21

As I have recited The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva over these three weeks, this quote (Reeves, p417) has always stood out as something I will want to refer to in the future. So, for safe keeping, I offer this mark of the great Dharma:

The Buddha then said to Ananda: “After the extinction of the Buddha, if his disciples want to repent of their evil and bad actions, they only have to read and recite the Great Vehicle sutras. These sutras of the Expansive Teaching are the eyes of the buddhas. By means of these sutras the buddhas have been able to attain five kinds of eyes, and from them are born the three kinds of buddha bodies. This is the mark of the great Dharma, marking the ocean of nirvana. From such an ocean the three kinds of pure buddha bodies are born. These three kinds of bodies are a field of blessings for human and heavenly beings, and most worthy of offerings. If anyone recites and reads the sutras of the Great Vehicle, the Expansive Teaching, it should be known that they have the blessings of a buddha and, having extinguished their various evils long ago, are born of buddha-wisdom.”

Day 19 of 21Day 21 of 21

Lotus Seeds

The True Goal of Chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

Quote

In many ways, the principle of becoming a Buddha with this very body is the culmination of the Buddhist teachings of non-duality and the true goal of chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. The Wonderful Dharma embraces all things often thought of as opposites: body and mind, life and environment, defilements and awakening, suffering and peace. It is all these and yet none of them. It eludes all attempts to define it or express it. In spite of this, we can become aware of it and center our lives on the Wonderful Dharma through Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.

Lotus Seeds

WONS

The Vanguard of Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō

The five Chinese characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō, the gist of the Lotus Sūtra and the eyes of Buddhas, have never been propagated even by such disciples of the Buddha as Kāśyapa and Ānanda, such great commentators in India as Aśvaghoṣa and Nāgārjuna, or such great teachers as Nan-yüeh, T’ien-t’ai, and Miao-lê in China, and Dengyō of Japan in some 2,220 years after the death of the Buddha. They have only just begun to spread in this world at this very moment in the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration with I, Nichiren, heading the van. All those in our group, follow me in the second and third battle lines, performing greater exploits than those of Kāśyapa and Ānanda as well as T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō. What can you do with the punishment of “King Yama,” the lord in the realm of the dead, when you, threatened by the Hōjōs who are mere rulers of a small island kingdom, abandon the Lotus Sūtra and are condemned to fall into hell? Such a person who claims to be a messenger of the Buddha but is scared of a minor persecution such as this is nothing but a coward. Thus I told them.

Shuju Onfurumai Gosho, Reminiscences: from Tatsunokuchi to Minobu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 24-25

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – July 20, 2019

Know this, Śāriputra!
I once vowed that I would cause
All living beings to become
Exactly as I am.

That old vow of mine
Has now been fulfilled.
I lead all living beings
Into the Way to Buddhahood.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. Earlier in the chapter he explained that all the teachings he used before the Lotus Sūtra were mere expedients, intended to use our desire for happiness to bring us out of our suffering and onto the path of enlightenment. The expedient teachings were tailored to the ignorant and deluded minds of those who heard them, but had not yet revealed the true wisdom and compassion of the Buddha. Now that we have met this Wonderful Dharma, we are assured of our enlightenment and that of all beings. We learn to see innumerable Buddhas in limitless worlds through unimaginable time, and our own true selves at the heart of reality.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

LS32

Day 29

Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

Day 29 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, we begin again with the question: Who is World Voice Perceiver.

Thereupon Endless-Intent Bodhisattva rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, joined rus hands together towards the Buddha, and said, “World-Honored One! Why is World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva called World-Voice-Perceiver?”

The Buddha said to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva:

“Good man! If many hundreds of thousands of billions of living beings hear [the name of] World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and call his name with all their hearts when they are under various sufferings, World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva will immediately perceive their voices, and cause them to emancipate themselves [from the sufferings]. Those who keep the name of this World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva will not be burned when they are put into a conflagration [because they are protected] by, the supernatural powers of this Bodhisattva. Those who call his name will be able to take ground when they are washed by an inundation. Suppose hundreds of thousands of billions of living beings are crossing an ocean in order to obtain gold, silver, lapis lazuli, shell, agate, coral, amber pearl, and other treasures, and suppose the ship carrying them is blown to the country of rākṣasa-devils by a storm. If one of the crew calls the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, all the crew will be saved from the attacks of the rākṣasas. Because of this, [this Bodhisattva] is called World-Voice-Perceiver.

On my 21-day retreat encouraged by Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, we consider Day 19 of 21.

21days, Innumerable

Day 19 of 21

As I have recited The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings again and again for these three weeks, this quote (Reeves, p33-34) has always stood out as something I will want to refer to in the future. So, for safe keeping, I offer this gateway:

The Buddha said to Magnificently Adorned Bodhisattva and the eighty thousand bodhisattvas: “Good sons, there is a unique gateway to the Dharma that leads bodhisattvas to attain supreme awakening quickly. If a bodhisattva learns this gateway to the Dharma, he will attain supreme awakening.”

“World-Honored One, what is this gateway to the Dharma called? What does it mean? How does a bodhisattva practice it?”

The Buddha replied: “Good sons, this unique gateway to the Dharma is called innumerable meanings. A bodhisattva who wants to practice and study the gateway to the Dharma of innumerable meanings should observe that all things were originally, will be, and are in themselves empty and tranquil in nature and character; not large or small, not subject to arising or extinction, not fixed or movable, and neither advancing nor retreating. Like empty space, they are non-dualistic.

“All living beings, however, make delusory distinctions: weighing whether something is this or that; whether it is a gain or a loss. Bad thoughts come to them, producing a variety of evil actions. They transmigrate within the six states undergoing all kinds of suffering and harm, from which they cannot escape during innumerable billions of eons. Seeing this clearly, bodhisattva great ones cultivate sympathy and show great kindness and compassion in the desire to extricate others from suffering. What’s more, they penetrate deeply into all things.

“In accord with the character of Dharma, all things emerge. In accord with the character of Dharma, all things live. In accord with the character of Dharma, all things change. In accord with the character of Dharma, all things perish. In accord with the character of Dharma, bad things emerge. In accord with the character of Dharma, good things emerge, live, change, and perish. Bodhisattvas, observing these four modes and being thoroughly familiar with them from one end to the other, should next observe clearly that none of these things continues to live even for a moment, but emerges and perishes every moment, each emerging, living, changing, and perishing in an instant.

“After seeing this, the abilities, natures, and desires of living beings can be seen. As natures and desires are innumerable, sermons are innumerable, and as sermons are innumerable, meanings are innumerable. The innumerable meanings emerge from one Dharma. This one Dharma is characterless. Accordingly, this characterlessness manifests all characters. Neither having character nor being characterless is called true character.

“The compassion that bodhisattva great ones display after dwelling at peace in this true character of reality is clear and not in vain. They are truly capable of relieving living beings from suffering. Having given them relief from suffering, they teach the Dharma again, delighting all living beings.

“Good sons, if a bodhisattva practices well the gateway to the Dharma of innumerable meanings in this way, the bodhisattva will for certain attain supreme awakening soon.”

Cultivating sympathy and showing great kindness and compassion – the gateway to the Dharma of innumerable meanings.

Day 18 of 21Day 20 of 21